This painting marks the beginning of the artist's more satirical, often highly cruel view of his fellows. The Cripples is another example of the artist's "composite" picture-making, gathering in the one deeply disturbing image a cross-section of the afflicted

Lowry's interest in cripples, tramps, drunks, derelicts and other strange and eccentric characters was to deepen from this point onwards. His social commentaries on the working-class ethos of the depression years is now extended into the dimension of pure satire with deformity and general oddity as its target.

March 2013: Thanks to David from Stockport we now have more info on the painting: the double amputee on the board to bottom right of the picture is George H Berry, born 1899 in Salford, and known locally as Johnny on Wheels.